In this post we will address one of the most common misconceptions found in the world. We will address what freedom is and what it is not. And the reason why we are going to do so is simply because brutish rulers use the ignorance of their people to enslave them. And part of that enslavement is to convince them that they have this intangible “thing”; this “freedom”. And, if you are one of those people who think that you are “free”, and that you proudly wave your flag and shout how “free” you are, perhaps this post is written for you.

What it is not.

The first thing that we must make perfectly clear is define what freedom is not. Because many people confuse “freedom” with other things. Like [1] trains that run on time, [2] having ATM machines, [3] having fast food restaurants, [4] being able to vote, or [5] having a “democratic system of governance”. Ah. None of those things have anything to do with freedom. Not one thing. None of them.

In fact, when the United States was initially founded, the people who founded it wrote an entire book on why they founded the nation, and how it was designed to work.  This book was called “The Federalist Papers” and you can see it online (for free in full free text), if you don’t believe anything that I have written herein. And one of the most important principles within that book was a warning that democracies take away freedom. And, that the (then newly formed Republic) should be guarded from ever the encroachment of democracy.

So, keep in mind that if you reside within a “democracy” the chances of you having any kind of freedom is practically zero.

That’s not me talking. That’s Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and the rest of the crew that first established the United States back in 1776.

Well, if a democracy is not freedom, then what is?

What freedom is…

It’s actually very simple. It’s the ability for YOU to live life on YOUR terms without any kind of interference.

If you want to go walk down the street, the freedom to get up and walk down it should be cherished. This includes the freedom if you want to eat a hotdog, or listen to a song on a radio, or being able to swim in a pond. The ability to do any of these things are freedoms.

Even the strange and the odd, maybe even especially those things.

Having the freedom to live your life on your terms is what freedom is all about. And if you cannot, then you do not have freedom.

But that is not realistic…

Now, that is where things start to get tricky. You see, there are all sorts of people, “busybodies” as I like to call them, who have a vision of a “better world”. And more often than not, their vision requires you to act in some way that they feel is proper. So they make rules, laws, add fees, and taxes, and prohibitions and bans to stop you from exercising your freedoms.

Any action that you do that has any of the following attached to it is NOT a freedom;

• A regulation.
• A rule.
• A tax.
• A fee.
• A membership.
• A prohibition.
• A ban from use.
• Forced used.
• Forced sharing.
• Permit.

So, if you like to eat a triple greasy hamburger with a sunny-side-up egg on top, with a beer, and your dog beside you inside a restaurant in New Jersey, but…

• There is a ban on triple hamburgers.
• There is a ban on sunny-side-up eggs.
• You are prohibited from bringing your dog in a restaurant.
• You must pay tax on your meal.
• You must be carded to check your age for the beer.
• You must finish before 2 am in the morning.

You are NOT free. You are enslaved.

Ah. But how do you measure it?

Well, surprisingly enough, freedom can be measured by the same set of criteria that was laid out in The Federalist Papers.

It’s the ability to have [1] life, [2] liberty, and [3] the pursuit of happiness. With part one [1] life being further divided into [1a] food, [1b] clothing, and [1c] shelter.

And, following the guidelines as listed above, any encroachment of any of those five items is a subtraction of freedom from your life.

Since most people are confused what freedom is, and how you can measure it, let’s go one by one through those five characteristics as listed…

[1a] Food

The ability to put anything you want in your body, at any time, and at any amount free of taxes, regulation, rules, bans or prohibitions of any type is a freedom. Failure to do so is tyranny. If you and your nation is somewhere in between it is “an encroachment of tyranny”.

It does not matter if it is a tuna fish sandwich or a tab of LSD. The freedom to ingest, inject, or partake in anything into your own body free of outside influence, regulation, fees or taxes, let alone bans or prohibitions is a freedom.

[1b] Clothing

The ability to wear what you want, when you want and how you want is a freedom. If you are forced to wear a hat, a scarf, or a head-covering, you are not free. The same is true if you must wear a uniform. Whether it is a type of dress style for your corporate office, or a uniform as part of a para-military unit. True freedom involves personal dress selection.

This also includes hair styles, and makeup and other adornments.

[1c] Shelter

The ability to own things is the bedrock of freedom.

Throughout history, up until the last century, people would build houses and would put their belongings within those houses. All of which they would totally and completely own.

Now, however, things are quite different.

You rent out your house to the bank on a thirty year mortgage. Your home is subject to real estate taxes, and school taxes, and you must obey the regulations set by your neighborhood from everything that you do to change the house. In fact, often you must get permission to cut down the trees on your property, or suffer with fines and fees for the failure to maintain your property up to community standards.

If anyone can place rules, regulations, prohibitions, taxes, fees, or anything else on your home, you do not own it.  Failure to own things is (historically) a trait of the slave and sub-servant classes.

[2] Liberty

According to the dictionary, “liberty” is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.

In other words, while the first three characteristics involved property (1a,1b, and 1c) this involves thought, belief and political views.

If you are unable to express them, or are constrained in writing about them, reading about them, or discussing them with others, you do not have liberty. It has been taken from you.

[3] Pursuit of Happiness

Finally, whether you have freedom or not, the ability to forge towards getting freedom is important. And this act, trying to have freedom is known as the “Pursuit of Happiness”.

However, if someone places laws, regulations or obstacles in front of you that prohibits or prevents you from obtaining your freedoms, they are interfering with your pursuit of happiness.

The Ideal vs. the Actual

Now the astute reader will note that the ideal cannot be found anywhere on the planet. There simply isn’t anywhere where people can have all five elements of freedom unencumbered. That is fine. Not perfect, but fine.

It leaves plenty of room for the pursuit of happiness, don’t you know.

Instead, we can measure things comparatively.

United States and China

Of course, the United States says that it has “freedom and democracy”. But does it really? According to the criteria above, the answer is a big flat no. On every level, the amount of freedom that a person has in the United States is actually quite scant.

What about China?

Well, according to the American media, China is a horrible, terrible and repressive place. It is a place full of sad impoverished people and a terribly corrupt nation. Well, that is what the powerful American press says.

Well, those expats who has visited it can confirm that it doesn’t look anything like what the American media narrative says it is. And, I can say and confirm that while there are many things that aren’t free (like not being allowed to take recreational drugs, for instance), on the whole, most Chinese people experience a far greater, wider and more diverse set of freedoms than Americans do. And if you don’t believe me, hop on a plane an see it for yourself.

Conclusion

It is easy to repeat the mindless mantras as spewed forth by the mainstream and the alt-press media. It’s far harder to engage in rational thought with those that do. This post is my “baseline”.

It’s simple.

You are either free or you are not.

If you move from a place that doesn’t have certain freedoms to a place that does, you are enjoying the “pursuit of happiness”.

And that’s exactly what I have done.

• I went from a place where every single purchase of alcohol required me to show some picture identification, to where I just raise my hand and it is brought over wordlessly.

• I went from leaving my dog in the truck to taking him inside of restaurants with me.

• I went from taking a few drags of an expensive cigarette in the rain in the company parking lot, to smoking cigars in my large spacious office.

• I went from paying yearly taxes, and reporting it to the federal government, on my house every year, to owning homes with zero taxes, zero reporting, and zero regulations.

Freedom.

You either have it or you do not.

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